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How many chances do you give new strings?

#43
I tried TI Jazz flats on my P-Bass for a while & didn't like them. After that, I tried them on four other basses and still didn't like them. Once I moved them to an acoustic fretless I liked them very well. They lived on that bass a couple years, until I started reading about how great the TIs were on a P-Bass, so I tried them on my p-bass...again. Still no go. They're back on the acoustic fretless & that's where they will stay.

I'm not at all anti-flats. I have Chromes on few basses, and, I have a set of EB Cobalt flats on a Carvin LB-75 that I'll probably never take off.

I guess I give strings a few chances, but I'm getting less patient with age....
 
#45
twinjet said:
Just gigged a new-to-me set (40 hrs. playtime at time of purchase) of TI Jazz flats that sound good with only one tonal setting. They have no top end, some mids. Incredible low end, though.

Played two gigs at two venues, both with odd room designs. My bass did not seem to sound how it usually does and had to wonder whether it was the strings or the rooms. These flats feel great but are extremely limiting tonally speaking, unlike Chromes.

How much time is a fair assessment?
Click to expand...

I can figure out in a few minutes if I like a bass or an amp or strings
 
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#48
Geri O said:
I have decided to stop trying different strings.

I've used Ernie Ball Power Slinkies for 4 years now and whatever they called that nickel set of gauges back in the day before I quit playing for a bit.

I have wanted to try all these new strings that are out there, but I keep being disappointed time and time again. I leave them on, thinking, let's do a few gigs and see. Shortly thereafter, off they come and on go the Ernie Balls.

So why bother? I like what I like.

I know, nearly everyone hates Ernie Ball strings. But I like how the Power Slinkies sound, how they feel, plus they are pretty easy to find, as opposed to a lot of strings in that gauge (I know, I know, gauges aren't the only contributing factor to the way they feel, I'm not going through that drill again). They stay bright enough for me for 4-5 weeks depending how many gigs and what kind of gigs I'm doing. So hopefully they won't stop making them because I'm seemingly the only guy on the planet that likes them.
Click to expand...

For the record, I feel exactly the same way as you do about EB Slinky strings, share pretty much exactly the same experience and echo your sentiment :thumbsup:, but my preferred gauge is the orange pack Hybrid Slinky set. I've been using those exclusively for 10+ years after having tried a bunch of different brands. I do like DR strings but they're pricy. I can get 2 packs of the EB strings for the price of 1 set of DR and the EB strings sound great for 5-8 weeks a set for me.
 
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#49
beans-on-toast said:
The secret is, put a set of flats on and never change them. The tone settings on the amp needs to be dialed in to best compliment the strings.

The hard part is learning to use right hand technique to bring out the tone. Listen and experiment.
Click to expand...
Who wants strings that have such a narrow area of practical use?
Who wants to do all that adjustment just to play?
Ain't got time for all that!
 
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#50
The first flats I bought had so many overtones, harmonics and other things that I about cried. I forget the brand, the ones with the lions head maybe. After 1 month they got better, not good just better. After two months i was OK with them, not thrilled. After three months they sounded very good. i then sold the MIM Jazz as it was trading stock not a forever machine for me.

I used Tape Wounds for over 30 years, and am now back to them.
 
#52
Watchootognbout said:
Who wants strings that have such a narrow area of practical use?
Who wants to do all that adjustment just to play?
Ain't got time for all that!
Click to expand...

Flats aren't just about thud thud, just like rounds aren't about clang clang. Developing the ability to have tone in your hands is not such a bad thing. Subtle differences in playing technique helps bring that out. I find this easier to do with flats.

There are ground breaking bass players who used flats, this includes McCartney, Jamerson, Dunn, etc. They had their reasons for using them. When I started playing, flats were the only choice available, so for me they defined the sound of bass in my head. Perhaps these other players thought the same.

Clearly, certain styles of music do better with rounds. If one considers flats having a narrow area of practical use in certain applications, the same arguement can be made about rounds. Each has their advantages.

Players are fortunate in that they can use whatever they are most comfortable with. As you say below your avatar, We're not all trying to play the same music. :)
 
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#53
twinjet said:
Just gigged a new-to-me set (40 hrs. playtime at time of purchase) of TI Jazz flats that sound good with only one tonal setting. They have no top end, some mids. Incredible low end, though.

Played two gigs at two venues, both with odd room designs. My bass did not seem to sound how it usually does and had to wonder whether it was the strings or the rooms. These flats feel great but are extremely limiting tonally speaking, unlike Chromes.

How much time is a fair assessment?
Click to expand...
It's vital that you feel comfortable with your set, as if the 'losses' the set provides compared to others you have tried are minor with respect to its 'assets'.

You can give them some more time, but if you feel they are a one-trick pony you'd better stick with a different set.
Unless you can have them on one bass destined to deliver that one-trick. ;)
 
#54
40Hz said:
Sounds like a set of TI Jazz Flats you're hearing. If they're not for you, you've heard enough by now.

FWIW, flats take awhile to fully "open up." And by "awhile" I mean three months (or more) depending on how often and hard you play. They'll get more complex and round sounding with time. But they're not going to get any brighter sounding. So if that's what you want more of, you need different strings.

Most strings only last a day (or maybe two) on my basses if I don't quickly start liking what I'm hearing. I've even pulled some sets less than 20 minutes after I've put them on. It all depends on the string.

Sometimes it's also finding a good match. For example, I never liked Chromes. Tried and tossed a few sets over the years. But then I put a set on one PB I bought after I stuck an Aguilar pickup on it…and it's a match made in heaven. So never say: "Never!"
Click to expand...

Ive pulled strings off within like 2 minutes. Even double checked that they were intonated and in tune.
 
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#56
although not bass related, i have a string story.

years back, i had a carbon fiber, pre-peavey composite acoustics cargo, which is their 3/4 size guitar. for reasons i can't recall, i decided to try a set of TI plectrums on it. the first night they were on, i hated them - to my ears, they sounded the worst of any strings i had ever tried. thin, tight, no overtones, not much bass. my husband was hearing what i heard. the same was true for several more nights. i decided to take 'em off the guitar when i got to day 7 of having them on my cargo.

only on day 7 and every other day afterward, the plectrums were pure magic on my cargo. they sounded amazing, with enough bass, sparkling highs and plenty of overtones that didn't overwhelm. they sounded great played super quiet in the livingroom, and they also sounded great played as loud as i played that guitar in shows. and they sounded great mic'ed.

i guess sometimes it really does take a while for strings to develop their voice.
 
#57
Rollin Thunder said:
Just put some DR High beams on one of my new EB bass, Really really tight tension, not sure about them yet, hopefully stretch and loosen a bit over next few days otherwise roto steels going on.
As anyone had the same with these or do they stay tight high tension.
Click to expand...

The flats or the rounds? I'm a big fan of DR strings as a whole. I use Hi Beams and Sunbeams currently, but I did try their flats and was surprised at how stiff they were. My bass was so hard to play. The tension was too high, and I took them off shortly after. They were on a fretless P for reference.
 
#58
I usually give 2-3 weeks for flats, rounds maybe an hour bt flats take a lot longer to break in, I have TI's on my bass and they took about a week and a half to start breaking in, im sure in a few months they will sound even better
 
#59
twinjet said:
Just gigged a new-to-me set (40 hrs. playtime at time of purchase) of TI Jazz flats that sound good with only one tonal setting. They have no top end, some mids. Incredible low end, though.

Played two gigs at two venues, both with odd room designs. My bass did not seem to sound how it usually does and had to wonder whether it was the strings or the rooms. These flats feel great but are extremely limiting tonally speaking, unlike Chromes.

How much time is a fair assessment?
Click to expand...
Could be the room, I do no play flats, but I believe it is fair to say the tonal range is limited? IMO, with my rig, it sounds so different from room to room, I just work with it, to get the tone I want, or close to it anyways.
 
#60
I give strings maybe a month. The only thing that has lasted longer than that has been a set of LaBella Low Tensions I had on a jazz and they maybe lasted 3 or 4 months before I took them off and restung it to BEAD with my goto Dunlop Super Brights. I feel like as a bass player that I'm supposed to have an affection for flats - the Low Tensions felt better than any other flat I've tried but I still just really don't like them.
 

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